1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and endocrinology. More particularly, it concerns methods for the treatment of elevated serum glucose and diabetes mellitus.
2. Description of Related Art
Regulation of glucose homeostasis in the bloodstream must be tightly controlled to maintain healthy metabolic function. Low serum glucose levels (hypoglycemia) can lead to weakness, headaches, confusion, and if unchecked, ultimately convulsions, coma, and death. On the other hand, hyperglycemia causes excess urine production, thirst, weight loss, fatigue, and in severe cases can also result in coma and death. Chronically high blood sugar also causes long term tissue damage that may contribute to diabetic complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, impotence, atherosclerosis, and increased vulnerability to infection.
In a healthy subject, pancreatic tissue is responsible for secretion of hormones that regulate serum glucose homeostasis. After a meal, when blood glucose levels rise, secretion of insulin lowers blood sugar by stimulating tissue glucose uptake (the primary tissue responsible being skeletal muscle). Conversely, when serum glucose levels fall, secretion of glucagon stimulates the liver to release stored glucose into the blood stream.
Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly common disorder around the world, characterized by chronically elevated serum glucose levels. Classically, diabetes segregates into two distinct groups that require alternative therapeutic approaches. Type 1 diabetes, is primarily caused by an inability of the subject to produce sufficient insulin to regulate blood sugar. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes is characterized by a reduced ability to respond to serum insulin, a state know as insulin resistance. Treatment of both types of diabetes can involve the administration of insulin, however, frequent insulin injections are both expensive and burdensome, involving the need for constant blood sugar assessment to regulate and time insulin dosing.